Contemporary mobile communications terminals are becoming more and more advanced and offer an almost endless array of possibilities to a user. It is, as such, difficult for a technically inapt user, such as an elderly person with little or no experience of mobile communications terminals, to handle their terminals and/or to operate them to their fullest.
Many systems exist where a technically skilled user may offer remote assistance based on assuming control of the terminal of the technically inapt user. However, such solutions suffer from the drawbacks that it may be difficult for the technically inapt user to properly describe the problem experienced to the technically skilled user, thereby necessitating time consuming problem finding for the technically skilled user, and that the technically inapt user may not understand what the technically skilled user is doing and thus does not learn how to use his terminal. There is also a risk of malicious use threatening the personal integrity and security of the technically inapt user and his terminal, as full control of the terminal is surrendered to the technically skilled user.
Another problem when offering remote assistance is that the technically inapt user may not understand the instructions given to him by a technically skilled user, or the technically inapt user's terminal may be configured wrongly in such a way that it is impossible for the technically skilled user to convey his instructions properly.
The U.S. patent application published as US2014129612A1 discloses methods, systems, and apparatus for providing assistance to a user of a mobile application are described. A request for assistance from the user is detected and a request is issued to a remote device for establishment of a remote assistance session. Information describing a state of the mobile device is periodically transmitted to the remote device and one or more commands may be received from the remote device. The commands may be executed on the mobile device.
The U.S. patent application published as US2011029241A1 discloses a personal navigation system, including: at least one inertial sensor module associated with a user, the inertial sensor module comprising at least one sensor to generate location data associated with the user; a communication device to receive and/or transmit at least a portion of the location data; and an onsite computer to communicate with the communication device and receive at least a portion of the location data; wherein at least one of the inertial sensor module and the onsite computer is configured to determine at least one activity of the user based at least in part upon the location data; wherein the onsite computer is programmed to configure a display including a representation of the user based at least in part upon the location data; wherein at least one of the determination and the configuration is performed substantially in real-time.
There is thus a need for an improved manner of providing remote assistance.